


The Noose

by melonbutterfly



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-10
Updated: 2009-12-10
Packaged: 2017-10-13 00:06:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/130654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonbutterfly/pseuds/melonbutterfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's one of those times where all the little or not-so-little things just pile up and make it impossible for Chris to stay in a relatively good mood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Noose

Fuck, he hated this.

Not just the fuss the damn paparazzi were making (and _yes_ , Chris was perfectly aware they were just doing their jobs; however, that didn't mean he had to _like_ them), but… this. This situation.

 _This_.

He glanced at Olivia as she made her way towards his car, not looking to pleased either. She didn't look at him; they were both keeping a distance. Chris' agent would probably give him an earful about that later, but this was about as far a concession as he was willing to make. He hadn't even seen Zach yet.

And that was the crux of the matter, wasn't it? Not that he had to play his part in this farce—he had agreed to it, and even though he hadn't really known what he was getting himself into, he wasn't caught too unaware either—but that it was actually intervening in his and Zach's relationship. He hadn't expected that; perhaps it was naïve, but he honestly hadn't. In his opinion, Zach and he had been fairly discreet; nobody had really honestly suspected anything. At least not enough to actually make it a real rumour. And it had been clear from the start that if they wanted to keep it like that and not come out, sooner or later one of them would have to get some kind of cover.

Even more obvious had been that it would be Chris—well, at least to Chris, and perhaps to Zach also, though Zach had actually been very uncomfortable when they had finally talked about it. "Why can't I-?" he had said, even though he had to have known the answer; he had created his image just as carefully as Chris had created his, and it was not part of Zach's image to date. Because as far as his image went, after years of not-replying to any questions concerning that area, Zach was pretty much celibate; it would have been too suspicious to suddenly dig out a girl for him. Too obvious. Chris, on the other hand, with his history of not-too-brilliant former girlfriends… that was a different matter. And he wasn't bitter about it; he had entered this business with open eyes, and his relationship with Zach with little to no naivety left. This was just the way it was.

Without glancing at Olivia again, Chris opened the door to his car and got in. "Just drive," she said the moment she had closed the door, and Chris started the engine and did as she had told. They both marginally relaxed when they were finally on the street; Chris was still annoyed and frustrated and generally dissatisfied, but at least they had gotten this over with. "That," Olivia started, but didn't continue; it wasn't necessary. They both didn't like their privacy invaded like that, even when it had been expected, even planned. There was just something about how they couldn't even go grocery shopping (not that they had done that yet) without being splattered all over the Internet an hour later… it was insane, and Chris honestly didn't understand why there was so much interest in his, in their private life.

His mobile rang, pulling him out of his thoughts, but before he could answer it, Olivia had already reached for it, throwing him a glare. She _hated_ it when somebody drove and did something else at the same time; it scared her. Maybe he should have been annoyed she was about to take one of his calls, but it fitted into their story, so it was alright. Besides, she was trustworthy; otherwise, Zach and Chris would never have chosen her for this.

"It's Zach," she informed him, and something in Chris twanged painfully; he suddenly lost a great deal of his peaceableness concerning her. "Bluetooth," he replied, aware that the stress made his voice curt and tight, and she switched on the button before admitting the call. "Hey Zach, you're about to go bluetooth." As if taking that as a cue, the screen of his car switched on, the hands-free speaking system displaying Zach's name and his number, and then Zach's voice came out of the speakers, almost too loud in the silence of the car. "-it?", was all he said, the end of a sentence obviously, but Chris relaxed considerably.

"Yeah," Olivia affirmed and put Chris' phone back into the pocket of his coat.

"So, how did it go? Did anyone even notice you?", Zach asked, and Chris gave an involuntary, bitter laugh.

"Ah," Zach made, and Chris knew he understood.

"But this is good," Olivia stated firmly, ignoring the incredulous and slightly resentful stare Chris threw her. "It means we don't have to go out of our way next time to make them notice us, _and_ it means we don't have to do something like this again too soon."

"That's right, though perhaps we should strike the iron while it's hot. You know, give them a couple of rumours in short succession, so they'll believe you're established even without any confirmation. And then it's alright if there'll be nothing from you together for a while."

"You weren't even supposed to be calling", Chris not-quite-interrupted. He wasn't supposed to take any calls while out with Olivia, and he didn't want to hear this now. Zach was right, but Chris was not in a too amicable mood right now; he just wanted his boyfriend (preferably naked) and a bed, and not even for sex. Their separation had been too long.

Zach breathed into the phone the way he did when he was annoyed; Chris felt vaguely guilty, but didn't apologise. Olivia was looking out of the window, not butting in, and Chris was thankful for it. She was too much in his life already, and while she was a pretty okay girl mostly (it was not like they had to be best friends, and Chris didn't make an effort), it would have been too much of an invasion if she would get involved into his relationship even more than she already was, by default.

He didn't know what was up with him tonight. He had been on edge pretty much all evening, for apparently no reason; nothing had happened. The situation they were in wasn't even really a situation; none of them were in it involuntarily, or dissatisfied with their agreement. Usually, Chris and Zach and Olivia joked about her being a beard and she had even drawn a goatee on her face with kohl once, when the three of them had held a video conference to talk about stuff. When he had seen it, Zach had laughed so hard that Chris had gotten her kohl and "improved" her moustache so it sported a sexy twirl at the tips.

But today… today, Chris was just unhappy with pretty much everything, ranging from the weather over the candlelight dinner and the paps to him still not having met his boyfriend, even though he had been in LA for a couple of days already. It practically killed him that Zach was only a couple of streets away from his house.

"You should come over," Zach said quietly after a short silence, not his bedroom-voice but what Chris liked to call his bed-voice; the voice he used when it was not-quite-dark and they were alone without each other. His I-miss-you-too-much-voice. Chris didn't like that Olivia could hear him, but it was only a vague discomfort in the back of his head as his mind was running rampant with the idea. Or perhaps it was his heart; his mind was busy figuring out the details and logistics and if they should really dare it.

But he had decided already.

As had, apparently, Olivia. "I'll just drive your car and sleep at yours," she said. "You can call me sometime tomorrow so we can meet up or something."

Chris took a breath, shifted gears and mentally flipped off his agent.

  
BONUS SCENE—BECAUSE I COULD NOT RESIST:

"You want me to what?!" Olivia somehow managed to sound both scandalised and highly amused at the same time, and Chris giggled into Zach's pillow while his boyfriend calmly repeated the newest shenanigan they had come up with. It was amazing how Zach could say "We think you should go buy some condoms" without any inflection his voice, as if he called girls every day to make such a request.

"Condoms," Olivia repeated, trying to sound either sceptic or critical, but really only managing to sound amused.

"Yes. From Crown, preferably," Zach clarified. Chris almost choked on his pillow, and when Olivia chirped in a girly voice, "The closest thing to nothing at all!", he was totally done for. He was vaguely aware of Zach saying something, sounding amused (it was probably something along the lines of "you don't have to if you don't want to, but you've got to admit, it would be hilarious"; Zach was too considerate sometimes), but really he was too busy trying to drown his laughter in Zach's bedding.

"Don't drool on my pillow," Zach ordered, mouth suddenly right next to Chris' ear as he straddled his thighs and moulded his body around Chris', chest to back. Chris grinned widely and wriggled a little lower so Zach's pelvis was pressed into his buttocks. "Too late," he said, and Zach mock-huffed into his nape. Then he bit him, and all of a sudden, Chris didn't feel much like laughing anymore. He rolled them both to the side so Zach was less squashing and more spooning him, entwining their fingers as Zach immediately wrapped his arms properly around him.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," he said, and Zach huffed again. "I know, Chris," he replied, and Chris could _hear_ him rolling his eyes. "I missed you too."


End file.
